Originally posted on 9/8/16. Reposting on 11/17/16 since this deal is expiring tomorrow. While this bonus is excellent, beware that it’s an extended process and hassle getting approved and setting up this account (and some people end up getting denied). Only do it if you have the time and patience to deal with it and feel it’s worth the $350.

The Offer

Open a new HSBC Choice checking, Advance checking, or Premier checking by November 18, and get a $350 bonus with qualifying activities

Here’s the qualifying activity:

Either:

Pay at least two bills per month from your new HSBC checking account via HSBC’s online Bill Pay for three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening.

Or:

Receive at least one qualifying direct depositper month into your new HSBC checking account for three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening. A minimum cumulative amount of $3,000 is required.

The Fine Print

Offer valid from September 6, 2016 through November 18, 2016

Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer (this includes credit cards according to this comment)

Limit one welcome deposit of $350 per customer, including all individual and joint accounts

The first line name on the joint account is considered the customer for gift purposes

The welcome deposit to your HSBC checking account will be reported on the applicable IRS form(s)

Qualified customers will automatically receive a $350 welcome deposit into their new HSBC checking account approximately eight weeks after completing all offer requirements

Be very aware that these people give HORRENDOUS customer service. In the space of time it took to open my account, I’ve had to call them several times. Each call took 25-40 minutes, and sometimes I gave up on waiting and tried again.

Don’t bother. According to a banker friend within HSBC, this offer is just a bait for your info for future marketing. They either decline your application, or won’t open acct by the offer expiry date (so that they don’t have to pay bonus), or not pay your bonus at all by dragging after all. Just move on. Anything too good is indeed too good to be true. Follow the US banks, at least they are honest in this issue.

Roughly a month. Yes, four weeks. They move glacially slow. I applied Oct 6th and have head nothing from them so far. Tomorrow will be two weeks. I will probably call them because people who have entered “self employed” have been held up for some reason.

I would like to point out that they ask you for a RIDICULOUS amount of information when applying for an account. So it will probably take 15 minutes of your time to fill everything out, and it doesn’t open automatically. They have to process your application

They did get hammered by the government for lax anti-money laundering controls (literally billions transferred that violated sanctions and AML laws) earlier this year, so I’d guess that’s why the application is so ridiculous.

Do you have large direct deposit income that’s easy to split amongst multiple checking accounts? I’d love to chase more bonuses, but i guess i dont have enough income to split to multiple accounts simultaneously.

You know you don’t always have to use a real direct deposit, right? Lots of times a simple ACH transfer will trigger that requirement. This page has datapoints for different banks (and is always linked to from our individual bonus pages): /knowledge-base/list-methods-banks-count-direct-deposits/

same here, I am on track to receiving more than 5000 combined with SO not including 700 from this offer. I have had 9 accounts so far. this will be the 10th, but will be opening it around nov timeframe.

Other than the Citigold fiasco and the Tech CCU jerkwads—this has been totally worth the very, very slight effort to set these bank accounts up. And I totally recommend Ally for bank account central, to keep up with this stuff.

They misrepresented the requirements for joining the bank. After jumping through all the hoops and proving that I was a member of one of the organizations they listed—they said that I had to be an EMPLOYEE of an organization in California, which was not originally a requirement.

Different people, different experience 🙂 Opened TechCu in January, received $150. Very quick transfers in and out and have many accounts linked. Rating 10 out of 10. Citigold opened October 2015, funded both savings accounts with 40k Alaska. Paid 3 months and after a few messages received 50k AA. Rating 10 out of 10. Opened HSBC and waiting for my $350 in order for this to be 10 out of 10.

I opened one personal and one business checking account within the last month and was declined / denied, and no reason is given on HSBC’s website. Prior to those, I opened only one personal checking and one personal savings account this April. I haven’t opened any checking or savings accounts prior to those in several years. I have a clean chexsystems report I THINK, but I just ordered a copy so I’ll try to update when I receive it next week.

Sad to say, I was disqualified because I held an HSBC credit card — which to HSBC constitutes a personal account. [Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer.] I just closed the credit card, in readiness for any future offers from them of similar appeal.

Curiously, after being rejected over the phone & in-branch, I applied for this offer online one week ago to see what would happen. I’ve received no email or phone communication from HSBC, but as of this morning I now have an active account number, with a zero balance. And my funding account, which had trial deposits credited & pulled from it on Monday, has now, Friday, been debited the $1,600 with which I chose to fund my new HSBC account. Again, this is with an HSBC “personal” credit card account [though I closed it last weekend]. Will wonders never cease 😉 Just hope the $350 comes through next January, after all my BillPays have been made over the next three months!

No bonus received yet . . . And my multiple email inquiries are all met with a generic letter stating:

******************************************************************
Please be informed that qualified customers will automatically receive a
$350 welcome deposit into their new HSBC checking account approximately
eight weeks after completing all offer requirements.

******************************************************************
We’re coming up on 13 weeks in a few days . . . Maybe time to give up the ghost?

Please note: The timeframe given is approximately eight weeks after
completing all offer requirements. However, it can take a few weeks
more. If you have qualified for the $350.00 Bonus, please be assured
you will receive the credit into your checking account.

Got the official Ka-bosh today — not wholly unanticipated — confirming that, consistent with what I was initially told in my branch, holding an HSBC credit card disqualifies you for the offer (even though I opened the bank account online, without any red flags at the time).

Pursuing this to the death has been no fun, but, for the record, here’s the meat of the letter I finally got today:

*******
We have received a response from our Campaigns Team and regret to inform you that your account is not eligible for $350.00 bonus.

The criteria was: This offer is only available to New-to-bank customers who have not had nor maintained ANY U.S. HSBC account as a primary or secondary customer on or after June 6, 2016. (ie. Even if a client holds only a credit card on or after June 6, 2016, they will NOT be eligible for this offer.)

Our records indicate that a credit card was open at the time you applied for the checking account. We apologize for any inconvenience.

*****

A gamble that unfortunately didn’t pay off . . .
Though I still contend that, in principle, a credit card is not a personal bank account.

{Do we blame the repeal of Glass-Steigal for the intermixing of these things?}

If you can get approved, this is a great offer. I had to read this several times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
Keep the balance above $1,500, pay two bills per month for three months. Done.

Declined. No reason given. I’ve opened 4 accounts in the past 6 months and a few more in the past 12. I usually open them in my name only, so I’ll try again in my wife’s name this time. She has only opened one account in the past 12 months.

My application online froze after setting up the initial deposit (Step 3 of 4). Of course, no chat function for help online, so I called the number. Automated menu with no option for people who do not already have an account number or phone access PIN set up. So, I guess I just have to wait to see if they contact me?

If you did not actually submit the application, chances of them contacting you are none. Re-apply and make sure you click on SUBMIT (or the equivalent of it).

And to those wondering why the denial, I have a question for y’all:
Did you come across a certain verification process (called WALLET QUESTIONS, in our inside world) where you have to chose an answer related to properties/vehicles/addresses/etc?
Because if you miss 1 of those, it will always send your application back and then you are at the mercy of a manual approval by someone processing it… Trust me, I know 😉

If you follow the datapoint linked for this being a soft pull, the post immediately underneath it is someone saying HSBC did a hard pull of Experian when they opened their bank account. Any other datapoints on this that aren’t 7 years old?

Having your application going for review doesn’t mean that it will be declined for sure. When they throw the same $350 bonus last year with different requirements, initially my application went for review and then they called me and verified my identity and security questions and then next day my application was approved. I believe that’s their process of reviewing application. May be you all need to wait.

Until last year HSBC didn’t look-in how many chex enquiries you may have in your report and that’s the reason I might got approved eventhough I had like 12 enquiries last year. May be for this offer, they may be looking in something particular and that might be reason for bulk denials. Not sure what it is…

Is it that some were auto approved by the system? Congratulations, account number given and all?
Anyone approved with LOTS of chex inquiries lately?
Do they live in an area where the bank has a presence?
Previous relationship with the bank, credit cards with them?

If you wish to discuss this further with a Customer Service Representative, please send an email to newrequest@us.hsbc.com or call 1-888-404-4050. Please reference your applicant ID # when you contact us.

Wonder if I should try my luck hearing people deny me, instead of just reading

Your application for a new HSBC Bank USA, N.A. “Choice Checking” account has been declined.

If you wish to discuss this further with a Customer Service Representative, please send an email to newrequest@us.hsbc.com or call 1-888-404-4050. Please reference your applicant ID # when you contact us.

i called…waited about 10 minutes and the transferred to another dept for a further 10 minute wait. It turns out they just wanted a better explanation of what I do for a living. Hint..don’t choose “business other” in the drop down menu. Also if you want the bonus, the bill pays have to be setup on their side note the payee side. Card should be here 5-7 days.

Bill pay “their side” means the recipient side and not HSBC? I assumed it’d be setup bill pay on HSBC and then add the recipient info such as Amex, Chase, Discover, Wells Fargo, Gas/Utility, Car payment, etc.

I was declined after the security questions screen. There was one question about my old car loan monthly payment that I am not certain I remembered and answered incorrectly. Do you think I should just try again?

Keep in mind that this deal only applies to a BRAND NEW customer to HSBC. Don’t even bother to apply if you currently have any account with them or had an account with them between 06/06/2016 and 09/06/2016.

Here’s a copy of their terms and conditions from their website:
This offer requires each of the elements to be met. Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer. A monthly maintenance fee will be incurred if minimum balance requirements are not maintained for your account relationship. HSBC Choice Checking, Advance, or Premier account must be open and in good standing at the time of gift fulfillment. Limit one welcome deposit of $350 per customer, including all individual and joint accounts – the first line name on the joint account is considered the customer for gift purposes. The welcome deposit to your HSBC checking account will be reported on the applicable IRS form(s). In situations where multiple offers are available, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. will fulfill the highest value offer you are eligible to receive. This offer cannot be combined with other deposit account opening offers. This offer is nontransferable. HSBC reserves the right to change or terminate this offer at its sole discretion.

I guess I’m not eligible for this offer since I hold a HSBC (personal) credit card:
“Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer”
Anyone think otherwise?

Sad to say, I was disqualified because I held an HSBC credit card — which to HSBC constitutes a personal account. [Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer.] I just closed the credit card, in readiness for any future offers from them of similar appeal.

Yes. Aside from unsatisfactory accounts, if any, ChexSystems keeps track of inquiries not accounts opened, so whether you are approved or not the inquiries are on the report. Some times/banks more than one inquiry will show up for the same one checking account that you applied just once.

Each inquiry reduces your score with ChexSystems as well. Before starting on a mini-spree my risk score was in the high 700s. It is now 592 after six new account openings in 60 days. Frequency of apps over a short window and number of new accounts are cited as score factors. However, this score service may count as a different product with them and I don’t know how many banks just look for derog history vs. those that will reject automatically based on a score they buy. You can get free access to both your score and a whole Chex profile from them.

Inquiries last three years and appear when you apply regardless of account being approved. I’ve also found several cases where auto-approved apps generate one inquiry, apps that require or get a later manual review often count as two as a human re-pulls Chex and actually reads it. Webster Bank pulled this. So did some local banks.

This seems like a great way for a bank to collect data on early adopters of bank offers. Wonder if the application gives them a reason to claim a relationship and direct mail/phone me for the rest of my life?

HSBC is a highly targeted bank for money laundering due to its international market size, that’s why every applications need to be manually reviewed. Even if you go in to a branch in person, it might still need couple of days (usually 2-5 days) for the app to get approved. That’s why folks like us with numerous accounts open in a short period of time rise the flag.

I just applied then got an email stating they needed me to snail mail in proof of address (utility bill or bank statement) before they could open the account. The email implied that the account was approved pending the address verification. I have 8+ inquiries on my chexsystems this year. Also, I”m not sure if this mattered but I also got the “second application” page where some questions were repeated. It asked how much I planned to deposit over the next 12 months. I entered $7000 and I plan to split off about $500 a month from my payroll for direct deposit.

The reason why you are being requested documents is because there is a discrepancy between the info you entered and the info they found when trying to verify your identity, in compliance with -to make it short- “Patriots Act”.
Those who recently changed last name, address or had too many inquired usually get to be processed manually. And everything better check out or you will be denied.

That may be the reason, however my security question were all correctly answered. I think it is because USPS refuses to add my address to their database because they don’t have carrier service for my small village. Instead they give out free PO Boxes which many businesses don’t like or won’t accept.

I sent in what they requested. If I’m denied it’s no big deal. I’ll try to remember to update when they make a determination.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account.
What this means for you: If you open a personal account, we will ask for your name, address, taxpayer identification number, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. Additionally, we will take certain steps to verify your identity, such as asking for your driver’s license or other identifying documents or checking other sources. Similar identification requirements apply to non-personal accounts such as corporations and partnerships. Be assured that we recognize the importance of protecting your privacy and safeguarding the confidentiality of the information you provide to us.

I have a Saving Account but have never had a CHECKING account. I chatted with CS for clarification on “any HSBC personal account”. This is what I have:

Erika: at 14:47:17: Hello Juston.
Erika: at 14:47:22: How can I help you?
Juston: at 14:47:35: Hi Erika, I am looking at opening a personal checking account with the $350 welcome deposit offer.
Erika: at 14:47:58: I’ll be glad to assist.
Erika: at 14:48:10: Here are the requirements needed for the promotion accounts.
Erika: at 14:48:11: https://us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/personal-banking/checking-accounts/offer?code=MIW0001774&WT.ac=HBUS_MIW0001774
Juston: at 14:48:23: However, the terms state that I must not have held a personal account within a certain date. I have a personal Savings account however I do not have a checking account with HSBC.
Erika: at 14:48:54: You can open the checking account it just has to be funded with new money.
Juston: at 14:49:28: Am I ineligible for the $350 offer since I have a savings account (i.e. HSBC personal account)?
Juston: at 14:50:42: The quote from the terms: “Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer.”
Erika: at 14:50:56: I will check for you.
Erika: at 14:55:50: The account would have to be opened after that time frame.
Erika: at 14:56:00: So if you’re opening today your fine.
Juston: at 14:56:47: Sorry, I don’t understand. The Savings account that I have (currently) was opened several years ago. Does my active savings account exclude me from this offer?
Erika: at 14:57:01: No it does not.
Juston: at 14:57:46: So when the terms state that the customer cannot hold “any HSBC personal account” it was intended to mean personal CHECKING accounts?
Erika: at 14:57:53: So yes you are eligible.
Erika: at 14:58:00: Correct.
Erika: at 14:58:09: Opened in that time frame.
Juston: at 14:58:18: That’s what I thought but I wanted to be sure.
Erika: at 14:58:40: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Juston: at 14:58:52: That is all I needed. Thank you.

I’m hoping if it really was their intent to only exclude checking accounts that they will update the terms to clarify if enough people bug them with this question. I don’t understand how they wouldn’t want me as a checking customer just because I am already a savings customer. They are pushing a bonus to get checking customers and clearly would only want to exclude already established checking customers. My wife is certainly eligible and I will apply for her, but I will probably wait until I get more feedback here or they update the terms.

“Customers who held any HSBC personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer.”

I would like to clarify what the above statement actually means.
A “PERSONAL ACCOUNT”, refers to any kind of account offered by the Financial Institution. It could be a savings account or a checking account.

In this case, the statement clearly specifies that customers who held any personal account between June 6, 2016 and September 6, 2016 are not eligible for this offer… Meaning: they opened it during that period of time and NOT that they opened it years ago and happen to have it during those two months.

Hope it clarifies a little bit your doubts.
And by all means, do not trust Representatives… Go for the fine printing ALWAYS!

The advise of Funding your account as soon as possible is accurate.
Until you do not have full notification that your account is approved, you are dealing with an APPLICATION, ergo, your account does not exist yet and you cannot fund it, until is approved.

Applied – went into pending (although the pending screen was not really clear). Once I submitted the app, I had to fill out another form (which said it required 10 minutes more of my time). Afterwards, no confirmation, no email. Still waiting after 7 hours.

HSBC is just a rogue in the US. They will most likely say the info from the credit burean (maybe Chexys) does not match the info you input. The worst thing is, you do not have any chance to argue or prove your info is correct.

I believe the reason for denials or reviews maybe related to the Knowledge Based Authentication (KBA) questions. HSBC might have set a too high a threshold for verification. 1 wrong answer = review and 2 or more wrong answers = auto denials. The KBA system (CRA/data brokers) may also be using stale data. No hard evidence, just a guess based on data here and reddit.

Stale data? How about bogus? I think you may be correct that it has to do with the “KBA” though. Those were some wild questions – about loans & bank cards I have never opened, and payment amounts on those loans that I did not have. I have applied for numerous bank accounts online and been quizzed a lot, so I know the routine well. I never seen that many “does not apply/not applicable” answers before. Probably like most readers on here, I am very familiar with my credit report data and those were clearly not my accounts. I saw only one question that was legit; most banks throw a single fake question out there to see if you will bite. Seems fishy.

I am in the “submitted/being reviewed” stage, assuming I will get the boot tomorrow for too many recent accounts. Fingers crossed. Maybe the “late birds” will luck out and HSBC will figure out the anomaly and stop kicking out everyone who applies.

DOC, did you get an account? Care to confirm or deny? Certainly you aren’t expected to spend all this time on writing about making money and not taking part in the fruit of the labor.

You were dealing with HSBC security if they demanded all that. It is classic and they will never identify themselves as a security/loss prevention team member. You usually get this if you are red flagged by an employee or there is identity confirmation discrepancies. If they still have a bad feeling about you, they will wear you down with demands for more and more info, knowing the average person will get offended and quit the process. If you managed to give them everything, they will still deny you because you were uncharacteristically TOO enthusiastic and motivated for an account, and who is over a checking account these days. It is strictly YMMV if you end up in the security office and very subjective. Sometimes it is easier to just make a new app after a short wait. They don’t blacklist people. They just want all of the info to match without having to do a lot of manual work to verify.

I wasn’t able to do anything after the initial funding tab. Just instructions to continue once the trial deposits were done to verify the account. Never received any notice of pending or declined or approved or anything at all. Started the app yesterday but no deposits yet. I can retrieve the app – still says when I get the trial deposits, click start to continue. ? No emails from HSBC at all. Is this unusual?

Ditto. Called the application department and then I was transferred to security department. I was then told that someone would contact me back after they reviewed my account. No email confirmation as of yet. fingers crossed.

Just got my first communication from HSBC: “Your Opening Deposit For Your New HSBC Account Has Been Processed”. I checked my application status, and it said I was approved and showed my new account number. Applied 9/9, approved 9/19. Tried signing up for online banking, and it looks like you need a pin and your 16 digit card number. So who knows how long it will take to get those.

Seattle, WA
16th bank account opened in 2016
All security question answers were “none of the above”

I think if you don’t get an immediate denial, chances are you will be approved eventually.

Applied yesterday, rep called me today to verify some information and I was able to verify my deposits. She said she doesn’t make the final decision for approval but she doesn’t see anything that would keep it from being approved so we’ll see.

Filled out application including the funding part with no problem using the instant account verification process without issue. Went to pending. Some of my questions for identity verification included the car loan company name and monthly payment. Bad enough remembering the car loan company but the monthly payment?…..after eight years and two cars later.Have no expectations for approval. Their process is as screwed up as Citi’s.

Went in branch to apply this morning. Requires original SSN, two government issued photo IDs, utilities bills/billing statement from other banks. Need to fill out a two page form with tons of questions. It took about 45mins per person to complete the application in branch. It’s still pending review and the branch manager told me that HSBC does not instant approve any checking application now. Make an appointment in advanced is recommended, unless you stand in line before the branch open. This offer is super hot and there are a lot people rush in to open it. The business hour for HSBC branch at Los Angeles is M-F 9am-4pm. With appointment you can do it by 5:30pm as the latest group.

That’s not a report of an Experian hard pull. They had a frozen account and were asked to unfreeze it and were told it would be a hard pull – bit different to an actual hard inquiry. If it was a hard pull – I think we’d be seeing many more data points.

FWIW: I applied yesterday and it went into pending. My Experian is currently frozen. A rep called today and said I need to unfreeze Experian for them to finish processing my application. He also said there is a hard credit inquiry involved.

That’s not a report of an Experian hard pull. They had a frozen account and were asked to unfreeze it and were told it would be a hard pull – bit different to an actual hard inquiry. If it was a hard pull – I think we’d be seeing many more data points.

Assuming you get the bonus as described 8 weeks after the 3 months of completing the billpay or direct deposit requirement, HOW do you close the account? (If there’s no branch within 100 miles?) How does HSBC give you the remaining balance?

Did anyone get an email from Naresh Venkata JAYANTY from HSBC? I got one today asking me to call 1-866-446-1428. It looks like this person works in India, def don’t feel comfortable giving my social or any sensitive information to a call center in India. Anybody else get this?

Mine was Ramani Pujari. Not to mention CASHEDGESEC%HSBC02@hsbc.asia who was Cc’d and Fraud_Prevention_AO/HBUS/HSBC%HSBC02@hsbc.asia also Cc’d. They sent it secure so I couldn’t open on my phone but then viewed it later today when I got home. Seemed like a strange email but I had the same phone number to call.

Ok, here is where I quit. I was ready to take my chances and apply until I read this. I have excellent credit and worked hard to keep it that way for 30 years. I am not giving my ssn to some call center in India.
There is a branch near my workplace so maybe I will apply in person. Their hours suck though: open 9-4 weekdays, so I would have to take time off work to apply.

After my fiasco with Popular Bank and having to plead to get my $500+ back, some little bonus isn’t worth the potential headache.

How you guys believe you are giving your ssn to a callcenter in India is beyond me. This is a bank with $220 billion in assets, do you have any idea how much bigger that is than your $350 bonus???? Do you think they will be milking you for your ssn to scam you for few thousands of dollars?

Called yesterday and was asked a few verification questions and then asked to send in 3 items to the secure email – 1) recent utility bill that doesn’t reflect late 2) drivers license from application 3) recent paystub. I work in banking and this sounds like typical request for CIP and the paystub I’m sure they want to ensure the employment on app is correct. I don’t mind competing this and let’s be real with ourselves, all large banks have India doing some level of tasks for them. Hoping I’m on track for an approval! Don’t mind going through hoops.

9/8 – applied
9/10 – received email to contact them
9/12 – emailed requested 3 items
9/27 – called and was told they have everything. Sending it for approval, should hear in 1-2 days
9/28 – approval email

Are you going to call the number? I don’t feel comfortable giving my information to a call center in India either. This whole HSBC deal seems kinda shady..which is strange since they are a very large bank!

Do you all even know what HSBC stands for ?
Its the original outsourced, neo liberal bank. From over 100 years ago, brought to you by the Crooks in the City of London who taught the crooks on Wall Street the game.
This bank will use every trick in the book to create acct fees, acct problems, and other nefarious techniques to steal money from you.

“Receive at least one qualifying direct deposit per month into your new HSBC checking account for three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening. A minimum cumulative amount of $3,000 is required.”

Does it mean 3000$ direct deposit per month or 1000$/month for a minimum total of 3000$ over 3 months?
Thanks

Maybe unrelated but fit some reason since I gave my email address to hsbc I have started receiving mountain of junk mail in my hotmail account. I have had this email address for over 17 years and am very careful who I give it too. Apparently HSBC shouldn’t have been on that list. Strange coincidence.

I also have a pretty ‘naked’ email address which I use for business, government, and family. I’ve never had sudden junk mail issues with the banks or cc companies, and that hasn’t changed with my app to hsbc.

Anyone was able to get in touch with HSBC customer service and figure out exactly why their application got declined? Definitely want to jump on this offer but not sure since so many are getting declined.

Got denied right after answering the security questions. Questions were dated back to 2003 so maybe I did not do it right. There were two questions that I was not sure about. I was applying for a reward checking account from a neighboring state bank and I got denied also due to failure on answering security questions. They asked me to come to the branch to apply after that. This is not a good sign.

HSBC is a purveyor of fraud. There is no fraud in banking and finance that this bank hasn’t been involved in which has come to light in the just the past couple of years. Below are some links; a couple of those are US DOJ and Washington State DJ so very official which sheds some light on the working of this bank. As the old adage goes, “Sleep with dogs and you get fleas”. Is $350 bonus worth getting associated with this bank and share your personal info with themt? To each their own.

Have been monitoring DoC and doing bank bonuses for a long time now trying to subscribe and help people or help myself. Just saw that rejections are not well taken by most of the crowd, and more than half the crowd don’t know what they are doing in the first place. This is going to be ruined by people (the S type) who don’t understand how to do things and ruin it for everyone.

Having people who don’t know what they’re doing engage in this has prob the opposite effect of what you’re saying. There’s always a couple of hoops to jump and a few details to follow, you simply don’t get the bonus if you don’t follow them. Which makes the bank more money than the scenario where you follow the details, get the bonus and then close the account shortly after.

Also keep in mind that compared to the general population we’re still a very small percentage. Banks are aware of us no doubt; there’s data points of at least a few of them monitoring churning/bonus sites, i.e. /alliant-checking-50-signup-bonus-easy-requirements/. But, we’re the cost of them doing business with the general population. Beyond bonus terms language like only 1 in 12 months–which applies to everyone–they can’t just say if you’re into churning banks for bonuses you shouldn’t apply with us.

“Note: The initial review of your application may take up to 72 hours. You may be required to speak with an HSBC representative for additional information before we can complete your application. Ensure completion of all fields with accurate information.

Please note, we are in the process of updating our application to include all information needed to open your account.”

I opened up a checking account in branch this morning. Fairly typical half hour process. I was issued an account number with temporary checks. As a data point: I have opened up 9 accounts in last 12 months, 6 in last 4 months.

I called Customer Service 1-800-975-4722. Selected not a customer. Selected interested in bank/credit card. Answered by someone with australian/nz accent, I asked about status of checking account transfer. Told I would need to be transferred and give it two minutes. On hold, was informed by recording that “due to abnormally high call volume, your wait may be extended. We have received your application and are processing. Please wait 3-4 business days and someone will contact you.” Waited maybe 1-2 minutes, connected to someone with who had an american accent. Provided personal details. Informed my account was received, placed in “pending approval” status, waiting for someone on the application processing side to contact me in the next day or two to ask some final questions to finalize. Since I only applied on Thursday of last week, I’m feeling good at this point. Hope it works out for the best for everyone.

Applied 9/8 went to pending. Immediately called the number the application status page suggested to verify info before HSBC ever called me. Told to wait 24 hours before calling again and that they might call me before then

Called again 24 hours later to verify info and was given tentative verbal approval by a help CSR. She even reiterated the two ways to secure the bonus as I had only put down 1 billpay/month and $1500 expected balance, neither of which would have the bonus requirement. I thanked her and told her I understood but was being conservative with my estimated account usage

Received email less than 10 minutes ago congratulating me with an approval going over routing number, login procedure, bank transfers, and check ordering among other things

9 new accounts in the last 12 months totaling $2325 in bonuses not accounting CC funding 🙂

Temporary username to be delivered via email in 1-2 business days. Password to be delivered via postal mail within 4-6 business days. Suggested waiting period for bank to bank transfers is 3 business days after online enrollment is completed…

Anyone got a email from naresh.venkata.jayanty@hsbc.co.in saying “This is an encrypted message.” when you open the email and it have a html file to download. I did it on my phone and it brings me to a page to create a account. Looks like a scam email

Did the app, passed the security section, verified bank by inputting the login creds, thought I was done and was told to click “next” and had to answer the same q’s again with regards to what I was using the account for (depositing cash? Electronic transfers? Checks? Etc.). My status is pending and will fund if approved, waiting on email confirmation of my app. I’ve opened 1 other checking account this year.

Applied when this offer went live on DofC. Got email stating pending decision. Got email saying I was denied. Got 2 verification deposits in funding bank account. Got phone call from HSBC without voicemail. Finally called in to see what was going on. Seems somehow I applied for 2 banking accounts. 1st one approved right away, 2nd one did not because of 1st being successful. Verified my info with CSR and good to go!

Not sure how one can open 2 accounts with one application, but it happened. Thanks for scaring me HSBC. Oh, BTW, rep said they were getting hammered with new applications! Ha.

Applied on first day this was posted, still have heard nothing. Just pending. Bank account was verified but no email or phone call. Guess ill give it until the end of the week before wasting my time on the phone.

I have applied and received a pending review notification. Then I waited for a few hours, called the bank and was approved.

These are the security questions that were asked of me during the application process. The answer to all of them was NONE OF THE ABOVE. So don’t be surprised if they pull questions where you answer none of the above to all 6 of them.

1.Your credit file indicates you may have a retail card, opened in or around September 2012. Who is the credit provider for this account? NONE OF THE ABOVE
2.Your credit file indicates you may have a bank card, opened in or around November 2010. Who is the credit provider for this account? NONE OF THE ABOVE
3.Your credit file indicates you may have an auto loan/lease, opened in or around May 2016. Who is the credit provider for this account? NONE OF THE ABOVE
4.What is the total monthly payment for the above-referenced account? NONE OF THE ABOVE
5.Your credit file indicates you may have an installment account (personal loans, electronic/appliance accounts, jeweler accounts, auto loans, etc.), opened in or around January 2015. Who is the credit provider for this account? NONE OF THE ABOVE
6.What is the total monthly payment for the above-referenced account? NONE OF THE ABOVE

Next Step –> Make sure you answer NO to all of these questions:

1) Do you have a relationship with HSBC outside of the US? NO
2) Will you receive wire transfers into this account? NO
3) Will you be sending wire transfers out of this account? NO
4) Will you be sending or receiving any other Electronic Transactions into this account (you can answer YES to this one and indicate that it will be only $1,500 per month)
5) Will you be making Cash Deposits into this account? NO
6) Will you be making Cash Withdrawals from this account? NO
7) Will you be writing checks from this account? NO
8) Will you be depositing any Checks into this account? NO
9) How will this account be funded today? (answer Payroll)
10) How will this new account continue to be funded? (answer Payroll)

After you complete your information you will get this notification on the screen: “You should receive an email within 24 hours confirming receipt of your application and reminding you to call an HSBC representative if you have not already been contacted.”

That’s not the end! You need to click on the “Next” button to proceed. On the next screen, you will be asked more questions about your address, year you moved to your residence, if your address is the same as the one listed on your Drivers License, and then you will be asked questions about your employer, employer’s address and your work telephone number. Fill all of that out, then click next again.

You will see this notification on your next screen, “You may be required to speak with an HSBC representative for additional information before we can complete the processing of your application. If that is the case, an HSBC representative will reach out to you, gather the required information and provide an update on the status of your application.”

If you have any questions, call 1-888-404-4050.

Final message, “You will receive an e-mail notifying you of the progress of your application. If necessary, please follow the instructions in the e-mail to finish the account opening process.”

I never received any email or call. So I decided to call myself. When I did call HSBC, the CSR verified me once more (name, DOB, address, purpose of account) and approved my application in their system.

This application is for sure the longest one I have ever filled out. But if you don’t mind spending about 1.5 hours for the entire process, you will be rewarded with $350 at the end.

That didn’t work for me. Auto-declined. Called “1-888-404-4050”, had a conversation with a very rude Indian CSR on Tuesday at 8:50am EST. Coincidentally I also had a conversation with a very rude Indian CitiCards CSR also at around this time…

Just applied for a bank account today. The process doesn’t seem very much different than other bank accounts. The security identification questions don’t really seem much different than other bank account applications so not sure why a bunch of people are complaining about them. My application is now under review which is normal for some banks. Would be nice to have it instant or not but I guess HSBC has its reasons.

Applied 9/8, finally got the email to verify the trial deposits today. Sounds like they are gonna open the account from me but no calls or email confirmations of any kind other than the trial deposit email. After I verified the trial deposits I went through another round of questions, whether will accept wires into the account etc.. About 6 bank accounts in the last year. I expect an approval. I’m guessing HSBC #1 is very careful with new accounts since they caught so much heat recently about money laundering and require humans to approve all apps and #2 their online system is prolly designed in the early 2000s and its not as slick as some of the other big banks so this is very likely the cause of the delay

all of you that have gotten calls from HSBC today or yesterday, can you tell me the number they called from or at least the area code? is it a toll number or is the number coming from local HSBC branches

I got a call from them at 800-975-4722 asking for me to reply to an email with ID. I did that and a few hours later I have a missed call from 571-265-7227 (Falls Church VA) which doesn’t accept incoming calls. Not sure if the second one is them but likely is.

Called today to check on my application, since I applied on 9/9, and believe I verified my two trial deposits on 9/11. I am stuck at the “submitted and being reviewed” phase. The gist of the call:

1. “No news is good news” & “the entire process is automated”. They will contact me if they need anything, either by phone or e-mail. (I think their idea of automated is different than mine, because it would have been done already)
2. Because of the promotion, they are swamped – received 30K applications in the last week, when they normally have 1K.
3. I should expect approval in about 7 business days.

She made it sound that I am good to go, but I will believe it when I see it.

Factors they might look at:
– 10+ checking accounts this year, and a couple last year
– 750 FICO due to some recent CC churning, normally 800+
– Lower than average income at the moment
– Nearest branch would be 200 miles away, but in the same state
– Only one or two of the knowledge based questions applied to me (pro tip: have your credit report handy, or creditkarma account open in another window)
– Application questions about the amount of expected checking use and value of relationship, maybe I slightly inflated the values, but was realistic

Oh, and it was not a hard credit pull (so far). I will reply when I get my account notification. Good luck to all.

Had to call again yesterday, as the application was still at “submitted and being reviewed” after nearly 3 weeks. Found out they needed some more info about my income, and would be finalized within 3 business days. Not too long after I got off the phone I got the e-mail stating they were going to initiate the opening deposit. Checked the application status that night, said “approved” and it gave the account number. Today I have been e-mailed the routing number, and an online banking temporary ID, but still waiting on the password. Apparently they are going to snail mail that to me, but going to call them to see if they can text it, as they state in the e-mail that SMS was an option. Seems the wheels turn very slow at HSBC, or at least when they get flooded with new accounts.

Took almost a full month to get a working account, and now finally got my online p/w in the mail. Still haven’t received the debit card, but not too worried about that yet. Finally, I was able to schedule two bill pays, no problem, to US Bank and Amex CC’s. It’s a pain, but for those who are having trouble adding your bills to bill pay, make sure you are using the right biller zip code, and not your own zip. It should be the one on your bill slip if you were mailing it in, but maybe you need to get creative and look for other zip codes on the fine print of the bill, or even off of your credit report? Just a suggestion. Or, call their web support team.

For Chase you just enter CHASE and the zip code that is on your bill. (Do not enter CHASE CARDMEMBER SERVICE, it will not work.) Then select the right CHASE card member PO Box (also from your Chase statement). It’s funny — the Pinnacle Bank Billpay is much easier. HSBC is too busy checking all our ties to the Mafia. 🙂

Applied on 9/8 and after submitting, it displayed pending review. As of today, 9/15, I have received no other correspondence and no trial deposits. I called cs and was told that due to a strike in India, they are processing applications at a slow rate. I did however get confirmation that my application is still in pending mode.

Applied on 9/9 and application went “pending”. No email confirmation of any sort was received. Called HSBC on 9/15 to inquire about the status. After talking to a call center which sounded to be located in Asia I was transferred to an office in New York. Talking to this CSR indicated that the application was received and assigned to another person in the office and I should hear in 24-48 hours. My conclusion is t hat the excessively long approval time is due to the fact that all application are handled by hand…..scrutinized for any fraud. Overall I would give HSBC a grade of “F” for their customer service, speed and overall processes. They join Key and Citi banks. On the other hand……..$350 is $350

Went to a local branch and applied for a Choice Checking act. Was approved immediately. Thes CSR was able to circumnavigate the Security Questions. She tried to get me to sign up for a savings account and apply for a credit card while waiting for nearly 1 hour. CSR made a comment that alot of individuals having been signing up for this promotion.

called and spoke with a rep today after being denied a second time. She said that it was due to incorrect answers pulled from the credit report. I know that none of the answers were incorrect and I explained this to her. She said that I should try again, but if it doesnt work then it is possible to apply by phone and get around that.

Spouse applied 9/9, approved 9/15. Verification questions were reasonable, so no problem answering them. Only one other account opened this year. I gave a very low estimate on the account use questions (low predicted balance and low usage.)
I’m planning to apply next month. Hope more approvals start coming through for everyone.

Since some people have issues with the online application and I had also received another $300 HSBC promotion bonus in March 2015, I decided to apply in person for a Choice Checking account on September 12th, 2016. The local branch officer asked for my driver license and a personal credit card to verify my identity. He was also asking a lot of questions regarding what I will use the checking account for. I was prepared for it and brought my employer special direct deposit form –which requires the branch stamp and the bank officer signature –to make the application process easier. I got approved the same day. I will go with real direct deposits from my employer since I can meet the $3,000 cumulative direct deposit requirement before the 90-day period. By doing that, I don’t have to worry for the account balance and making bill payments. Then, I will close the account after six months to avoid HSBC early termination fee.

Question for you since you applied in person and that is what I’m thinking of doing.

Were you immediately able to get a way to setup online access in branch once your account was approved (by getting a temporary password or PIN to go along with your new account number) or are you still waiting for it via regular mail?

They don’t configure your account for online access in branch as other banks usually do. Branch officer told me I will get two messages: one with my Temporary User ID and another with my Temporary Password. I thought he was referring to e-mail messages but I was completely wrong. I got my Temporary User ID and my Temporary Password via regular mail in two independent letters one week after the account was opened. Anyway, I found an alternative route to set up my account online three days after my account was opened. Please read my answer to SteveJ posted on September 18, 2016 at 7:20 pm where I explained that. In summary, you will need your HSBC account number and SSN to get your Temporary User ID via e-mail and your Temporary Password via cell phone text message. Don’t request them the same day the account was opened. Wait for the next day instead. It will take 24 to 48 hours to receive them. Then, you will use them to setup your account online.

Applied on 9/9. Followed up with HSBC on 9/15 for status and was told “still pending” but should hear something by 9/17. Received email from HSBC on 9/17 stating….”Your Opening Deposit For Your New HSBC Account Has Been Processed.” I guess I’ve been approved and the account is fully funded..no indication that bonus was linked to account or any instructions on how to access/setup the new account or bill pay. Will followup on Monday to insure bonus is linked to account and hopefully learn how to setup the account.
The application process and approval is very clumsy at best….for those who were rejected I would call and try again. Probably rejected due to the inadequacies of their system

Go to https://us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/personal-banking page and click on the Register > link located on the upper right corner of the page. After accepting both the Electronic Communications Disclosure and the Terms & Conditions, click on Continue button. Then, look for “If you don’t have an HSBC card or have forgotten your PIN, you can utilize your HSBC Account Number to request Temporary Credentials here”, and click on here. On the next page, enter all required information to get your Temporary Registration ID and Temporary Password. Select SMS Message to get your Temporary Password as a text message on your cell phone. Your Temporary Registration ID should be sent to the email address indicated. Anyway, I had to call HSBC Customer Service at 800-975-4722to get my Temporary Registration ID by phone. Keep in mind: they are very slow for everything. When you have your temporary credentials, repeat the same steps outlined above but instead of clicking on here, select Temporary Registration ID/Password from Verification Method dropdown list, enter all required information and finalize your registration. After creating your user name, password, memorable answer and security questions, you will be able to log in to see your account online. HSBC used to enforce two-factor authentication meaning a second device such as a smartphone must be registered to see your account online. So, you needed to download the HSBC mobile application to your smartphone, install it and follow a lot of steps to configure it properly. Now, I think they stop enforcing a second device registration to see your account online because of customer complaints. Anyway, since I had to do it in November 2014 to get a $300 promotion bonus available at that time, I did it again on September 15th, 2016 for the new $350 promotion bonus, three days after opening my account in person at a local branch.

Regarding the $25 early termination fee….after the bonus posts and I decide to eat the $25 and close the account, will HSBC claw it back….read a lot about this bank…they seem awfully shady even for too big to fail ethics.

I suggest checking your spam/junk mail. I just saw my approval email in there. My deposit was processed/approved on 9/17. I had applied 9/9 in the evening. No phone call etc. I just completed trial verification through a link above earlier last week (a few days after applying). Opened well over a dozen accounts, probably even this calendar year, that were on Chex. No phone call at all! Only answered the “longer” application once. When it prompted again after verifying deposits I didn’t re-answer. I’d rather a slow approval than a quick denial!

Spoke to CSR today to verify the email I received which confirmed the funding was in process was also the formal notification of approval. It was. Was told I need to wait for an email for a account number and regular mail for a temp password before on line registration is possible. Confirmed $350 bonus was coded to account.

CSR also indicated HSBC was overwhelmed with new account openings. Again a reason for those who were denied to call and apply again. Its clear their system was overloaded given the number of denials and the lengthy approval times..

Ugh! After 11 days, 3 calls, about 2 hours total on the phone, mostly waiting, I cancelled my “pending” application.
I had expected to receive a “call within one business day” “you may be contacted either by phone or email” “you should receive an email confirming receipt of your application”.
I never once received an email or phone communication of any kind regarding my application of 9/8. NO not in my junk mail either.
I had only one other checking account in the past decade, excellent credit even if they did pull – and had no problem fulfilling any or all of the terms or conditions.
Without a confirmation or actual account I decided can’t fund a phantom account with no communications from their end by email, mail or phone. I found the whole process to be a sad satiric comedy. To each his own.

Applied on 9/8. Got a phone call on 9/16 to verify spouse work information because I chose “spouse income” as the main source of income. Received an email stating the opening deposit has been processed later that day (No new account info). The money was withdrawn from my bank on 9/19 but so far, have no idea about the new account.

I just received my call from HSBC (844-867-5750), and after answering a couple questions, I was informed that my application has been approved and that the account funding method specified in my application will be executed. For reference, I submitted my application on the 13th.

“Just got my first communication from HSBC: “Your Opening Deposit For Your New HSBC Account Has Been Processed”. I checked my application status, and it said I was approved and showed my new account number. Applied 9/9, approved 9/19. Tried signing up for online banking, and it looks like you need a pin and your 16 digit card number. So who knows how long it will take to get those.

Seattle, WA
16th bank account opened in 2016
All security question answers were “none of the above”

I think if you don’t get an immediate denial, chances are you will be approved eventually.”

I was asked about my monthly mortgage payment and I looked my bank statement for October payment without knowing starting October my payment is up a few dollars. But
the credit report had old amount so I was declined (2nd strike). My first strike happened when I asked which bank card I NOT have and I misread as which card I have. Finally I passed. Third time is a charm. Just keep trying, do not give up. My wife got approved before me and still waiting probably because she put only $25 for initial deposit and I put $300.

I applied on 09/09/16, my opening deposit was processed on 09/15/16 and I received my official “Welcome to HSBC” email on 09/16/16. I can’t set up my online account for Personal Internet Banking yet because I haven’t received my temporary password in the mail yet. This is the third bank account I’ve opened in 2016.

How in the world do I setup a bill payment for a Citi credit card I have on HSBC’s website? It asks for a company name/zip code/account number of the company I am paying. I know the account number but can’t figure out what to put for the company name/zip code. I have tried multiple combinations but can’t get it to search and find Citi.

Applied 9/14, got no email. All questions were “none of the above”. Call in today to ask about status, and was told that because I put “business-other” as my profession they needed to know more information. What my job title was and what company I worked at. Then they said I should get approval in the next 72 hours. Sounds like they are utterly swamped and weren’t expecting the influx, so approval department is having a very hard time handling it. If you got denied I’d call in, might be some stupid reason like this.

Six days in…called to check status. Surprised to find no on-hold wait time and a knowledgeable customer service rep. Told me it would probably take another two-three business days, apologized for the delay citing the response to their promotion. Like every one else, playing the waiting game.

Update – they’re back logged so just getting to the applications from around the 9th and 10th of September. They said that for a point in time they were getting 2k applications a day (is that a lot??). Also the phone people were getting applications because of an issue with credit questions which were denying people so double duty behind there.

Wife applied 9/10, got approved 9/19. Answers to all security questions were “none of the above”.From reading other entries above, I guess she’ll have to wait for the temp password to come in the mail. She was unable to get far enough in the online banking registration to have the choice to receive it by SMS, She got a temporary registration ID in one of the 3 “welcome” emails, but that’s it. She doesn’t have an HSBC card number/pin. Does she only get that choice if she has an HSBC card?

Applied on 9/8. The correct answer to every single security verification questions were “None of the Above” which would have made me paranoid had not every one of them been obvious.

No peep from HSBC until 9/14 when they called to verify my addresses going back 2 years. It was a 5 min convo and a few hours later I had the welcome and approval emails. Now I am waiting on the snail mail pin or temporary password, whichever comes first via snail mail.

I’ve opened 14 bank accounts since June so my experience backs the notion that people are getting denied from failing ID verification. What is up for debate is whether users of HSBC are at fault for failing the ID questions.

Yup. I am on my 2nd week waiting. I called, and they said they have everything they need, and the account should be opened in 3-5 business days. This was last Friday. They did say that they are swamped with the new promo.

Application process froze after verifying ownership of my funding bank account. I click the continue button and nothing happens. I’m using Chrome, which has caused problems for me in the past, so I’m going to retry with Edge and see if it works.

Why not just do two bill pays each month? Easy to do and no guessing what will count. Plus it doesn’t even specify a minimum bill pay amount, so just send $10 to your CC of choice twice and be done with it.

Let’s just hope they manage to get people their online access or at least the account number on their statements to set up DD to avoid the monthly fee quickly Cutting the “freebie” statement cycle almost immediately is a fun little game these banks like to play and subject the first real cycle to all the requirements even though the account was open like 35 days.

Just curious…those of you who mailed your opening deposit are you seeing faster turn around time on the application approval? I did 2 of these accounts…one for the husband and one for myself. I mailed in opening deposit and it seems like I got an approval right away. The other one I had them take it out of my current checking account and we’re still waiting for approval after applying on 9/9.

So I just called HSBC again since 1. I applied on 9/9. 2. They received my check via mail on 9/14 (they have not withdrawn the money yet). 3. I called them on 9/16 and they said it should be approved/opened within 3-5 business days.

I called today. The lady said it’s preapprove, and is pending. She put me on hold to do some research. She came back and asked me 2 questions. 1. where is initial deposit funds coming from (I said my checking account). 2. what kind of funds will be deposit to your new HSBC acct (I said payroll).

She said,”Ok, it looks like that’s all we need. Your account should be opened within 2-3 business days”

So we’ll see.

Since I was on the phone with the rep, I asked her the question some of you guys are asking. The PIN to access online.

She said the PIN will be mailed to you roughly the same time as your debit card (about 7 business days after the account is opened).

Small victory today: received the temp password via mail.
So after another round of screens, more emails, installing
mobile app, more security questions & passwords set,
I can finally log in via mobile app, but not via desktop.

“The system is currently unavailable, please try again later.”

Something tells me this is going to be a painful experience
all the to the end.

Any tips on setting up Bill Pay to Chase for a CC? HSBC doesn’t seem to have a list of suggested payees, it just asks for the company name and zip code, and I’m not sure which name (just Chase?) and zip code to use.

Yup, applied 9/9 and still waiting. Received and verified trial deposits on 9/12. Finally called to check on status on 9/23 and after being transferred and speaking with 4 reps they finally said they wanted to verify the source of my deposit funds. And how was I supposed to know they were waiting on this? Probably just an excuse anyway. I put in my application it is from military retired pay and verified this on the call. Military retired pay…HOW SUSPICIOUS! No wonder they needed to verify.

I suspect HSBC is overwhelmed by the response and instead of owning up to it they claimed they were waiting on me to verify something. Sounds like a lie to me. I could handle it if they weren’t quite prepared for the response to their promotion but I can’t tolerate dishonesty. It’s too bad. I was actually considering keeping the account open even after promotion was paid. Not anymore. Once I get the $350 and 180 days has passed I’m outta here.

That question about how long your funding bank was opened (1 yr or less), coupled with the new fund by check only makes me think they’re contacting our funding banks and asking if we’re “suspicious” etc. Like a reference. Why a check is less risk than ACH idk-you’d think new account funding would all be the same. Making it so you have to mail something in they can claim they didn’t get, great way to avoid opening the account, frustrate you, and get out of the bonus. These banks have to cast a wide net, and haven’t figured out how to avoid us without scaring off the cattle with “really bad” fine print. Maybe they should just do like Wells!

I originally applied on the 9th…received the trial deposits on the 12th. I have called 3 times. The first time they assured me they only needed 2-3 more days. Third day came up…no call…no email…nothing. I called again…thus time they said you’re pre-approved..just 2-3 more days. That’s their magical response. Called again…this time they apologized for taking so long and explained the application is waiting for final approval. The rep assured me he would personally follow up with the person reviewing the account.
I realize they have alot of responses…10,000 one rep told me…but geez customer service guys…service the people that have been waiting the longest.

Datapoint: Applied on 9/12 and application status ended as “Your application was submitted and being reviewed.”
Don’t remember how I answered all questions, but I DID choose a long standing account for funding. That was the first time I’ve seen such a question, so I opted for what I thought might be the better answer.
No trial deposits, so I’m assuming I entered account/password for funding account during app.
9/15: Received email that opening deposit was processed. Account number will be obtained via online banking login.
9/18: Received “Welcome to HSBC”, “Welcome to HSBC Personal Internet Banking”, and “Welcome to HSBC eStatements” emails. Temp online account login name in 2nd email.
9/24: Received debit card and temp online password via 2 USPS letters. Successfully setup online account and scheduled bill pays.
Chexsys info: 12+ in last 12 mo; 5+ in last 6 mo

DP: 5 bank accounts opened in the last 4 to 5 months, was approved for this account after pending for two weeks. I chatted online with them to inquire about the status of my app, said they needed more info from me and called me a day or say later, then approved.

For the HSBC Choice checking it states the following under the Offer terms and conditions:

“If direct deposit ceases, a $15 monthly maintenance fee will apply if balance requirements are not met. Qualifying direct deposits are electronic deposits of regular periodic payments made into your Choice Checking account through 3rd parties at least once per statement cycle. To avoid a monthly $15 maintenance fee for Choice Checking, you need to maintain direct deposit or $1,500 in total combined personal deposit and investment balances.”

So no need to have $1500 tied up here, just with any direct deposit should suffice to waive the $15.

I am so aggravated by HSBC. I applied on the 9th. Still waiting. Everything I call in they say 2-3 more days. They ultimately dof nothing. I escalatd to a supervisor and they don’t even follow up. What can I do at this point?
Anyone else.still waiting from the 9th or earlier?

There’s discrepancies. A Branch Service Manager says it’s her understanding – she was quite adamant – that this would never be offered online. I insisted to her that, indeed, with all due respect, I DID see it online and people are going through that process.

She said it has to be done in branch. She also said $1500 minimum doesn’t apply – just the DD is sufficient.

Also, she told me that in addition, you may get one of three mastercards so the total bonus offer could be $500-$625 if I recall correctly. I chose a basic mastercard worth an additional $150 – or the points – I don’t believe there were any spending requirements. (I’m not at home so I can’t check the paperwork.)

Did you call a branch? These sales pitches sound odd. If you call the HSBC main number 888-404-4050, option one for assistance online application, they forward you on to 844-867-5750, which I would assume is the new accounts dept. I think you got a salesperson, not a Cust. Serv. Rep.

Started rolling as of yesterday. Yesterday my $250 deposit was announced to be transferred to HSBC and several welcome emails landed today. Filled in the application on Sept 8. I did not place any calls. It looks like a manual review of each application and many were received. They are obligated to respond one way or the other.

I received a call from HSBC trying to ask even more weird questions than the online application. I patiently answered all and finally was told the application has been reviewed but needs further approval from credit analyst…….yikes……….this was more difficult than getting my wife to agree on second round of sex after we just finished one

10+ bank acocunts opened within last 12 months and i was approved. Got my card in the mail today with a temporary password. Have to wait on either the temprorary pin or temporary username for online account creation. Overall i am happy.

They e-mailed me my temp. username; a really long number. Might want to check your SPAM filter. I got it the same day I got the Welcome E-mail, that had the routing number. Haven’t got anything in the mail yet.

Hey Ben, even if they tell you that you are approved…your account might not still be opened. I won’t believe anything until I get an email telling me my account has been opened. They told me I was approved like 2 weeks ago. Still the account is not opened.

Here is their response when I inquired via email when I might be able to set-up online access:

Hello. You were registered for Internet Banking on 09/23/2016. You will receive your Username via email and your initial Password via regular mail. As far as your account number, that can be retrieved now by logging back into your application and clicking on “view application summary”.

I gave up on the online app. About 9/25 I asked them to please cancel it. To this day I have never received any email whatsoever from them – since applying 9/8.
I went into a branch and it was simple. They needed a bill or something with my current address, my driver’s license, a credit card. And they acted like cash money was contraband (can you prove where you got it?) But it was a professional, courteous and simple transaction compared these online issues.

Yes, you are right. If you do a Direct Deposit you will avoid the monthly fee. $1500 is not required to get the bonus – it’s DD or bill pays. Most people do not want to be switching DD’s around all the time and rather stash a nest egg for a couple months. Makes for a quicker getaway too.

Now if I could just get them to approve my account I could get things rolling.

I was approved, but I had to unfreeze Experian (the only one they use) for them to do a “soft pull” which it better be. I also had to send them a copy of my driver’s license and proof of income. You would think I was applying for a credit card with all info. they required. I opened two other bank accounts within the last four months also.

I was approved and I have opened many bank accounts in the last 15 months. DoC wanted datapoints on that so I am posting.

Bear in mind that they were ill-prepared for the large number of apps they received, so the process may take a lot longer. And their web-based software (the application software, the online banking software, etc.) is just klugy and ill-designed in general.

Basically go into it expecting a big bonus but also be prepared for weeks to get it set up with probably a few followup calls. If I had mentally prepared for that I would have gotten less irritated.

Why I was able to add any billpay payee, each and every company, including gas, electricity, water companies comes back as no search result. I think at least Duke Energy is a fairly big company, isn’t is? Where is the catch?

Saw a post in the other forum:
“Didnt see it mentioned but if you had an account from the previous promotion. No trial deposits needed and your old username and password still function. Just need to call Customer service to reactivate access”.

I’ve read and reread the bonus requirements but would like a clarification from the community. There is no amount requirement for the automated 3x months bill pay, right? I can set it to $0.01 for two credit cards for 3 months and have it still count?

I hesitate to do the full bill pay with HSBC because my CCs don’t come up as electronic billing and my main checking account does do electronic.

$0.01 might be pushing your luck, because there might be a minimum of at least a dollar or so to be able to push the “save” button. I am still waiting to get online access, but the terms do not state any minimum amount, so I would assume ANY amount should work – utility, CC, maybe even a person. (personally I am planning on $10 to two different CC’s, at least for the 1st month, until I see how it goes.)

I already used it in the branch, and threw away the rest of the mailer. There was a card in the mailer with a code that you tear out.

When I opened the account in the branch, the rep ask me for that part I threw away because he want to make sure it was sent to me. Because I guess the system does check if you’re target. I told him mines just said “to our neighbors”. I guess they just mail it to residents close the that branch. (the mailer had the address of the closest branch on it).

Side note. The rep said,”oh i think I see why your online app too so long. Under 2nd form of ID it has “EID” or something like that. He asked me if I put that in. I told him I don’t remember them asking me for a 2nd form of ID other than my driver’s license.

And got my account opened email today!
Applied 9/12
Silence
Did online chat 9/26, was told account was approved on 9/12 but was waiting for “verification” and I would get an email within 48 hours
Silence
10/1 received opening deposit has been processed email

(I used an active checking account I’ve had for years to do the direct deposit. Verified at time of application by entering login info.)

Please tell me, am I a big dummy? On the questions about account usage i.e. how much in direct deposits, cashing checks etc. I exaggerated a lot assuming I needed a lot of usage to be approved. In reality I’m going to do the bill pays and have $15 in DD sent to the account every pay period. They’re not going to cancel my account or anything based on the discrepancy in how I said I’d use it and how I am actually using it, are they?

No, I’m doing bill pay to get the bonus and my understanding was that you need direct deposit to avoid fees. It didn’t seem to specify the amount you need in DD to avoid fees, just have it linked. The $1,500 in DD was the get the bonus itself. Am I misunderstanding this?

“3 If direct deposit ceases, a $15 monthly maintenance fee will apply if balance requirements are not met…. To avoid a monthly $15 maintenance fee for Choice Checking, you need to maintain direct deposit or $1,500 in total combined personal deposit and investment balances”

It seems that as long as DD is maintained, regardless of balance amount, the monthly fee is waived.

I applied today at a branch. Easy peasy; took about an hour. Deposited 1.5K and rec’d my accont number and checks. Was told to expect debit card in 7-10 days. Did not get the 3rd degree or the weird questions !! We’ll see how it goes.

So there isn’t an HSBC branch in my state, and I noticed in their Terms and Charges (http://banking.us.hsbc.com/personal/deposits/choicechk_tcs.pdf?ts=103201623183547) that they charge $15 to wire money in and an undisclosed amount is charged for outgoing wires (it’s disclosed at the time of wiring, so basically I’d have to sign up and put money into an account in order to find out whether or not I’d have to pay to get that money back out prior to closing the account). Anyone know if bill-pay could be used, similar to Huntington, to transfer the funds back out of this account prior to closing? I’d prefer to know before committing what sounds like an abnormal amount of time to apply for this one. Thanks!

About to give up on this one…I applied on 9/8 and received a follow up call a couple days later just to clarify some of my answers. I was told at that time everything looked good and I would likely be approved in a few days. Since then I have received NO communication from HSBC. I finally tried calling today but had to hang up after being passed around to three different departments and being on hold for almost 45 minutes.

HSBC branch refused to take my application for 350 bonus, because i have investment account with them from many years. Their fine print says i should not be having personal accounts and their theory is invst. acct. is personal account.. On the contrary it says if you have $1500 in personal account and investment account you don’t have to pay fees. If investment account was same as personal, why did they put word ‘and’ in between accounts.

Data point relative to maintaining a fee-free Choice Checking account based on chat with HSBC CSR:

“at 8:55:31
Me:.I am trying to clarify the minimum balance requirements in order to keep a fee-free Choice Checking account. If I maintain two direct deposits of any amount each month, then I do not need to maintain a $1500 balance? Is that correct?
Tony: at 8:56:08
That is correct
Me: at 8:56:25
Great, thanks!
Tony: at 8:56:34
You’re welcome.”

Why 2 DD each month? I thought 1 DD of any amount will waive the fee but one need to have multiple DD amount to $3000 within 120 days to get the bonus. I’m not sure one need to keep balance of $3000 at the end of 120 days.

After 2+weeks of silence, I called in and, with some effort and a couple more days’ wait, got the account opened and funded. Now I’m trying to establish online access to verify everything, set up bill pay, etc.

I got my temporary ID in an email and have requested my temporary PW at least twice, asking for it to be sent via SMS, not snail-mail. Each time the system confirmed that I would get the text msg, but still nothing. Called last night and spent an enjoyable 70 minutes on hold (the music is still rattling around in my head) only to be told that a text msg takes between 24 and 48 hours to be sent. I picture legions of underage workers laboriously typing each message. “Only 600 more and I get lunch!” Seriously, this bank is not ready for 20th-century clients!

I’m at about 36 hours in, so it looks like it’ll be the full 48h turnaround time for me, if I ever hear from HSBC again.

Considering the $350 as hourly compensation, this deal is eventually going to *cost* me money. 8-(

that’s frustrating. this bank will get all frustrated customers and eventually everyone gonna close after receiving 350. Just curious how did you requested pwd via sms? I believe that requires your full account number to send pwd via sms

Gram43 already answered this about the acct #; I did the same thing, but not intentionally–just happened to notice the account number was shown on that approval page and made a note of it for reference. Later proved useful, along with the temp registration ID, to request the PW via SMS.

On that front: the full 48 hours elapsed with no msg, so I called back, Don’t know if it was just the right time of day or what, but hold time was barely 10 minutes this time, and the CSR promised to resend the temp PW and call me back at 48 hours (Saturday A.M.) to be sure I got it. As it happens, it arrived about 12 hours after that (so turnaround might be that short, or, if this is actually the result of one of my earlier attempts, it might be more like 60 hrs or more, Can’t be sure.)

After some fussing with my “security device” (I chose my phone), I did get into my account and did successfully schedule 2 bill pays for tomorrow and monthly x 6 to allow for completion of requirements, recognition on their part of that completion, and posting of the bonus (fingers crossed!)

So, still not a happy camper, but a considerably mollified one. It *can* be done!

They emailed me a password but never sent me a username to my email or anywhere else. Got the debit card about a week after the password. Got impatient and called them and they were able to help me get in. Hold time was 20 min, but I finally got in. My pin arrived 5 days after my debit card.

Good news is that once you are logged in, you can use the chat function instead of calling them.

Longer, geeky answer: PPD is just an ACH code for transactions paid from a business to a personal account. In the case of payroll/direct deposit, PPD is the correct ACH code. For external transfers (bank to bank or other types like Pop Money done online), the correct code is WEB. There are tons of ACH codes under ACH Rules but only a few most commonly used PPD, WEB, POS, and CCD.

Banks that accept WEB or external transfers as “direct deposit” either don’t have systems updated to recognize the difference between true direct deposits or they just don’t care.

This is crap !! Is there anyone who got denied just after the Personal Information screen ? I was not even taken to the Confirm Identity screen/page.
Does this mean I got an entry on the Chexsystems too ?

OK, so for those who have been approved and their initial funding deposit has been processed and are still waiting for their temporary password call HSBC personal banking. My account was open a week and I haven’t anything from them but a temporary ID, I requested the SMS password multiple times never came through, I called today and the agent said the system never sent me the password and she manually initiated it and it came through 5 hours later. Finally made it into my online account. So apparently the online system to request temporary passwords doesn’t actually work, but it doesn’t tell you that.

That phone number wasn’t working so called their other 800 number and they said they had my phone number wrong. Now I have to wait an additional 2 days for them to change the number on my account then another 1-2 days for them to send another SMS text with the temp password- hopefully!

You’re lucky you got it in 5 hours, maybe I’ll be surprised and get it sooner.

Applied 9/18, didnt hear anything for 10 days, called in HSBC rep said my occupation listed was the hold-up…sure….said account would be open within 5 business days thena temporary password within 5 days, and access to online profile after another 5 days…going on 3 weeks since applied and still nothing, I’ll call monday…this bank is a joke, it should of stayed in HONG KONG stashing british expats laundered money.

Since applying on September 14, I have called three times. The first and second time they told me I would hear in 1-2 business days. The third time, they told me 24-48 business hours. Guess they decided to mix it up a bit.

“$15 per month, no fee with direct deposit or if monthly minimum balance of $1,500 in combined qualifying personal deposit and investment balances is maintained”

“Pay at least two bills per month from your new HSBC checking account via HSBC’s online Bill Pay4 for three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening.

OR

Receive at least one qualifying direct deposit5 per month into your new HSBC checking account for three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening. A minimum cumulative amount of $3,000 is required.”

Applied on 9/13, almost at a month now. Verified the trial deposits shortly after applying. Called last week and was told the account was pending, no estimate on completion. Sure $350 is a great bonus in theory but I can only imagine it will be a nightmare to deal with this bank if & when I do have an account.

Account just got opened after I applied the day this post went up, still waiting on my separate temporary password.
If the $$ value wasn’t so high and the requirements so easy I wouldn’t bother, although given it took HSBC six weeks to open a checking account I’m not exactly encouraged.

Slow, slow, slow. I applied 9-26-16, and still haven’t received any word from them. Today (10-12-16) I chatted, and the chat person gave me a number to call (after trying to give me several international numbers and ditch the chat). I called the number, waited about 10 minutes on hold, and when I spoke with an agent, they transferred me to another agent in the “account opening” sector, and after everybody asked for all of my details, in the end, the last agent said, “Ok, we’ve got a very large volume of people interested in this, so account opening will be very slow….we’ll look into this and get a response to you in 3-4 business days.” What? You’re the account opening team, and you can’t even give me a response? Wow. I’m just gonna sit and wait, who knows if the $350 will turn into reality or not.

what do you want?) they give us free money! they been sued many times for different reasons (it didn’t hurt them at all pretty much) but they changed their policies (terms and conditions) now they double check everything pretty much! My application still in process 22 days =(

I applied on 9/10 and just received an email on 10/7 to “complete” the application. Couldn’t figure out how to get back to the app, so I called today. The lady was nice enough to verify for me on the phone and ask me the one question HSBC wanted me to answer. “What is the income source for this account?” I said, ‘rental income checks’, her answer was “cannot be used for anything business relate’. I really don’t even remember what type account I chose, but I do remember the 50+ questions they asked. I said, well just payroll direct deposit since I figured that is what they wanted to hear anyway. She entered the answer and sent it on its way. Said I may get another email in a week or so.

Heck I forgot I had even applied for this account until the email from last week.

new problem: finding a bill pay “company” that HSBC can recognize in their database… they DID find Bank of America so I’ve done one BP for a cc there. Did NOT find SyncronyBank (Amazon store cc). Did not find “Cardmember services” (Chase cc); Did not find Wells Fargo (Propel cc). There’s also the option of choosing “individual payee” where they DON’T look it up in their database, and I guess I’ll try that next. I’m waiting on LONG wait for online chat with them to discuss this dearth of Payees in their database.

Have others had similar troubles, and if so, does the individual payee option satisfy bill pay rqmt?

Have you tried entering utility companies? Water, sewer, gas, electric, phone, etc?
I haven’t tried this offer, mostly because I’m juggling 9 checking accounts already, but the bill pay section of my regular bank allows me to enter any company or individual. Some obvious companies are pre-populated on the list but there’s also a place to enter those not on the list.

I had the same issue. Their bill pay is really painful to use in comparison to other banks.

I did something similar to this but with BoA and Citi so not sure if Chase will work. Try searching their bill pay for “Chase” and use the zip code “60094” because that is where Chase wants you to send mail to pay credit cards. (Bottom of page https://chase.com/credit-cards/pay-online)

That’s exactly what I did. I had a Chase and a Citi bill and both were in the HSBC system address wise with slightly different names than appear on my statements. When I searched just “Chase” and just “Citi” the proper address was found in the HSBC system.

Thanks Ken, Patti and Grady for the suggestions. In the end, this is what worked to set up a payee for my Chase Freedom cc bill. My statement says to send payments to “Cardmember Service” PO Box 15153, zip=19886. I searched HSBC bill pay “companies” for “Chase”. One of the choices it offered was “Chase Card Services” at that PO box and that zip. So that should do it…

Applied a few weeks ago. And just did the micro transactions today. Called in and after 50 minutes on hold (call dropped after 20 minutes the first time :/ ) I was told that I was pre-approved. I guess now I need to wait 3 more days according to the nice lady. Fingers crossed.

This is for those who are still waiting on their temporary password and have had a previous Internet Banking account with HSBC, I was able to get the old account reinstated so that I can use my previous user name and password to gain access to my new account without having to wait for the temporary password.

Spoke with a very nice lady in the Internet Banking Department when checking on why I hadn’t received my temporary password via SMS text and she noticed that I had a previous account with HSBC. Asked her to see if I can still use that and she was able to get it activated again. While she remained on the line, I was able to login and saw my initial deposit and new account number so I’m good to go.

YMMV but might be worth a try to expedite getting in to online banking.

Thanks Mikey for the tip. I opened my account in person last Thursday with a $1600 cash deposit and was waiting for the temp password by SMS text when I saw your post Friday and decided to try it. Was able to get my old account reinstated the same day and setup two bills pays that showed sent today.

I’m all setup with the 1st months requirement already met in only 3 days without all the hassles others have experienced when applying online or even by phone in some cases.

Wow, this is a tough one. It’s been three weeks and I thought I got a soft denial. Yesterday, I got a call from a nice lady needing clarification of my income (self-employed). I had to explain to her in detail what EXACTLY do I do (transportation logistics). They will e-mail me in three business days. Previously I had no contact with them whatsoever.

Barclay’s is notorious for denials and low credit lines. Look up the comments on the Barclaycard arrival on this site and reddit.

I was denied an Arrival+ with a TU score of 750.Earlier this year they used a hard pull (which CS swore would be soft)and denied my CL increase request. They gave me a $500 increase instead. I have two hard pulls on TU now because of Barclay’s for a whopping $500. I have a solid payment history with Barclay’s too.Now I had to open a Savings with them, threw $5000 in there and plead my case to recon.

I’m under 5/24 and was recently approved for a Chase Sapphire reserve with a CL of $25000 instantly,

Ok, I thought you had some problems with their banking side. I have a savings account with them because they pay 1% interest, but I also have an Aviator Red with them. I haven’t had any problems (yet), and I hope things continue to go well. They are a bit on the conservative side when it comes to approving new cards and higher limits.

I know your question was not directed at me but I just HAD to reply. 😉

I had a Barclay visa many years ago, I think it was through USAirways or something like that. At the time, our kids were very young and though I paid our bills, it was the early days of internet banking & bill pay, they were 99% on time. With working FT and caring for babies, I barely had time to read the mail let alone budget for the future. Anyway, we carried a ridiculously high balance, over $10k and I made a payment online 1 hour after the time it was due, which meant it was credited the next day. They raised the APR to 32% which jacked the min payment up to around $500 with only $12 or so going toward the principal. =:o
With the cost of 2 kids in day care (close to our mortgage amount) plus a car payment, this couldn’t go on. It was killing us financially.
I pleaded for mercy but they would not budge. We ended up taking equity from our home to pay it off and tell them F.U.
I will never, EVER have any dealings with Barclays. I will stuff cash in a mattress and pay every bill in person before they see a penny from me again.
Just had to get that off my chest. Thanks.

Just a heads up to everyone: HSBC is doing some funny business with statement cycles. Just got my my first e-statement which cut after 20 days. No correlation to account opening/account funding or end of month. Of course, my first 2 qualifying Billpays happened the day AFTER the shortened statement cut.

I’m watching the situation closely and certainly a CFPB complaint may be how this story ends. But my advice is get them funded and make your billpays ASAP once approved…especially considering all the troubles people have had getting these opened.

NEVER had I ever had to work so hard for a Bank Bonus. I’ve opened plenty of accounts over the years and most them were a breeze to open. Not HSBC. These people are incompetent and customer service, when you finally get to a human after being on hold for more than 1/2 an hour+, is so so. It took about a week for my application to be approved despite having a credit score in the High 800’s. Then I only received 1/2 the information needed to set up my account online…. so again, another phone call to customer service and more time wasted. Trust me, this account will be closed after 6 mos. I’m just hoping they don’t screw up my receiving the $350 bonus. I set up 3 months worth of bill pays, for 2 payees, paying them $5.00 each, each month. After that, I plan on leaving the account open another 3 months, and then I will CLOSE the account.

i put in an application for my husband over a month ago. never heard anything back so he called them last week and they said they would call him back the following day. obviously, they never did. now, when i check his application status it says the application expired or was cancelled. so frustrating.

Holy smokes just approved via email. Took about a month of waiting and two phone calls. The holdup on the a application was my job. Guess they got tired of helping money launderers. “Self-employed” raises a red flag CS has told me, so that may be a data point.

To compare: a capital one 360 account took 10 minutes, yes all of ten minutes with funding and to receive an account number.

Another Funniest bank ever!
1. Applied 1 month ago – I filled out all application and questions – that I work for a company, company name, phone ETC – received a call after 2 weeks of applying – they said they don’t have the second part of the application (who my employer is, how much money I will keep on account ETC) – OK – I gave all info AGAIN!
2. After another 1 week – I got a call – they said they don’t have my second part of the application, I said I gave it a week ago, she said “wait a sec” then she said “Sorry the girl who supposed to take care it and took my info 1 week ago – LOST THE PAPER and all info”! I provided info AGAIN!
3. Still waiting….. Is it a bank or bagel shop?

A bagel shop would be much quicker. They’ve decided to be more picky now, or their general risk tolerance changed. Not saying you’re a risk, except the risk of “getting the money and getting out with no fees” the “unspoken” risk….. Look, all they gotta do is put in the ad “If it looks like you may be inclined to open this account only for the bonus whether in the judgment of an account rep, consumer reports, or internal data, OR any reason we can come up with on a whim, we reserve the right to refuse to open the account for you with a bonus attached.” Might that make the real sheep even less inclined? I guess that’s the “cost of doing business”. “Account subject to approval” doesn’t quite cut it when its intended for the “bad” bank robbers not legitimate consumers responding to bank offers.

Instead spending their $$$$ on promotions-commercial-hype-banners-mails-emails – they give out people bonuses like this!!! what they expect from people giving them easy $350 ? bank cannot figure out who will stay and who will not – almost impossible (if on chexsystem person don’t have many opened accounts in last 2 year) I got only 3 opened account in 2 years!

This bank is an absolute nightmare to deal with. The number of codes and passwords to log on alone means I lock myself out pretty much every time. I can’t imagine actually using this as my primary bank.

*Phew* Glad to hear it’s not just me. Took me over 30 minutes to set this thing up last night after waiting almost a month after I applied. Transferring enough in to cover the minimum balance and the required bill pays and then I am staying out of it until the bonus posts which I am sure will happen without a hitch

I think it’s any mobile device. (Tablet,smartphone) Apparently you have to download and set up their mobile app before you can complete online access. I followed the instructions but NEVER use the mobile app, i access online via a browser on my phone or tablet. Hope this makes sense.

For those having trouble adding payees (i.e. pay-to accounts for bill pay) I figured out how to add CHASE and AMEX. Here’s the correct company name and zip to use for each:

1) Company Name: CHASE CARD SERVICES
Zip Code: 28201

2) Company Name: AMERICAN EXPRESS
Zip Code: 75265

P.S. A customer service rep confirmed that you can pay an individual instead of a company to meet the bill-pay requirement for the bonus, if you like. That means you could mail a check to somebody instead of paying a CC bill. I am not sure if you could mail a check to your own address though (by paying your spouse, for example)

Is this no longer the case? I tried “american express”, “American Express” and “AMERICAN EXPRESS” and none of them worked. Also tried Chase and that doesn’t work either. Nothing works. Stupid bank is worthless.

applied 9/13. Got trial deposit done 9/16. Never heard from them. Called perhaps two weeks ago, after 30 min on hold, rep said she needed exact job title. Gave to her. heard nothing since. checked status on line, message said could not find my application. Wondering if after 30days, the application disappear.

If you click the link to apply and start going through the process, there is an option to go into an old application. Put in some information and it’ll show status if you’ve already completed an application previously.

This is a challenge to get opened. I was preapproved but nothings been happening. Today I call in and my application has been withdrawn. I get transferred to the right department and they reactivate my application and verify a few pieces of info. They say at the earliest I will have everything up and running by the 14th of Nov. CSR said that even if my acct doesn’t get opened until past 11/18 that I will still be eligible for bonus, as it has to do with when you applied, not when you were approved. I asked about how to keep it fee free. She said the above info that’s mentioned here, but she also said I could walk into a branch and they could change the type of account without changing anything else, and that would lower the amount needed to keep it fee free.

I applied Sept. 20th and got my “welcome” letter yesterday Oct 19. My wife already has an account opened, so I know enough to wait another few days more for my password to arrive in the mail and not waste my time trying to obtain it through the other way that they seem to mention.

I applied two weeks ago and was denied. APplied again today and got to pending. First time through, I misread one of the security questions which caused the denial. Answered the question correctly and got through to pending review.

Applied 9/18, finally received online access today after having to “update” occupation, then they input my cell phone # wrong so I did not receive pin via txt, received pin view usps but it was invalid due to txt request which they messed up. finally waited for debit card and pin. this bank has problems, I go to online bill-pay to enter payee. “Technical error”…Iguess thats one way to say customers didnt not meet bill pay requiremnts ahah….man cant wait to close this money-laundering slimy bank….if you wondering why the call quality stinks with csr’s is because the call center is in manila and they are using some cheap VOIP service and given the phillippines has the slowest most unreliable internet behind only mynmar you could see why this bonus is the biggest headache ive encountered over 13 bank bonuses this year.

HEy,
who knows – can I pay partially the same bill, or credit card statement? For example, bill of $50, and I pay $25 two times with interval of 2-3 days? Will it count as two bill payment or only one (because it’s actually one BILL) ?? thanks

I applied last week. I checked this link and it says my account is approved and shows the account number too.

[LIST=1]
[*]How soon will i get the temp username and password to set up online account?
[*]When will my test deposit show up in the external account for verification?
[*]If I had a HSBC account last year, can I call them up to re-enable my old userid/password?
[/LIST]

2) based on I and my wife’s experience, the temp password will come via postal mail within 7-10 days. Don’t try to get it online even though some wording leads you to believe you can, you’ll waste a lot of time.

3) Why bother? You have to give them a permanent user id/password the first time you get online with the temps, try it then. If it doesn’t take, THEN call them and put up with the ensuing aggravation.

I was able to get my old account reinstated after speaking to the Internet Banking department. That was after reading Mikey’s response from above. I had opened the account on Oct 13 and read his response from the 14th when I was going to wait for the password, called and was able to get online on the same day.

The reason I didn’t want to wait was to get the bill pay setup as soon as possible and make the payments so I could hopefully get the bonus sooner.

As a point of reference and if you want to wait, my temp password came on Oct 22 so took a little over a week to get to me.

Letter received today, dated 10/20
We recently reviewed the above reference acct as part of our standard process. We regret to inform you, as a result of this review, HSBC will be closing your account in accordance with the Rules for Deposit Accounts effective 11/9/2016.

The following option to close your account will be available 20 days from the date of this letter. Internet

If this option to close your acct is not excercised by 11/9, a USD official check will be mailed to you.

How does one get an account closed on a rule that is not been published yet?

“The closing is effective 11/9, not the Rules.”
Yes, this is how I understood it also. That sucks but at least they had the balls to let you know up front. Unlike Popular Bank who out of the blue closed my account with no notice whatsoever. I had just transferred over $500 to my account with them, the money came out of my regular account, and then the next day I couldn’t log into my Popular account.
They kept saying on the phone the funds would be returned “in a few more days” and ended up taking about 4 weeks.
Trust me, Doug, just take your money back now while you still can and call it a day. Move onto the next deal.

Seriously what a horrible bank and website. They decided to ACH my initial funding a month after I applied without even telling me whether I was approved or not. After that, they took 1 week to snail-mail me my log-in credentials. Now that I have access, the website and mobile suck .

I mean I’m a bank churner for sure, but occasionally if I like a bank when churning I usually just end up sticking with them (First Republic e.g.). There is no way, I’d even recommend this bank to anyone else.

This has happened to me also. I set up six $10 bill pays to two different credit cards (2 bill pays each month for 3 months) to satisfy the requirements. I also had my account reviewed about a week ago which took about 2 hours on hold over 3 phone calls. I feel like HSBC owes me the $350 for jumping through all their hoops. Is a CFPB complaint appropriate here?

I decided I should talk to them if I was eventually thinking of filing a complaint. I chatted online and was told that since I had called in last week everything was now in the clear and my account is fine.

I had called them on Oct 17, one business day after receiving the request to call in. My letter of account closure is dated Oct 19. They say I called in Oct 21. Definitely closing this one as soon as I can with no guilty feelings…

Finally gained online access today. Yes it’s difficult to both apply and enroll in online banking. I applied the first week of September. Mobile app has been updated so it’s not much as a pain as earlier.

I get the sinking feeling HSBC pretty much doesn’t want small consumer (under six figure) banking anymore.

The above poster’s account being closed for small bill pays makes me wonder if I should just stick with the DD requirements then drain it slowly with CC payments externally.

There’s something very very shady going on with this bank. I had a better experience with Wells Fargo in August That’s saying quite a bit.

Like others, also not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling with this bank. Applied for myself 10/11 and my wife 10/17. Followed online instructions received and mailed check for opening deposit on both accts 10/18. 10/18 received secured email contact for wife asking for drivers license copy to verify identity. Dealt with india. 10/24 received different type of email (not secure/encrypted type) for me to call in on my app. Had to complete second page of application over phone. They confirmed they have my check but said app still being reviewed. Who does business like this????

Also weird, online instructions say make check payable to yourself. When I called in the say make check payable to HSBC. Um, no to that. So I sent both checks payable to us and included the online instructions.

Follow up on above-
My account: Applied 10/11, Fully opened and accessed online with PINs: 11/08, First Billpay 11/10
Wife’s account: They returned check to us because it was not from her account. Pending resubmission of opening deposit. Notified by mail only.

Did anybody receive a Welcome Packet in the mail? How about some sort of signature card or master deposit agreement? My Santander account required I send back the signature card within 2 weeks of receiving it or they would shut down my account but I haven’t received such a thing from HSBC. Even Chase required that when I opened an account it branch. I have called, chatted and “BankMail”ed HSBC about it and have gotten nowhere. Anybody have info on this?!

(After reading about the above poster whose account was mysteriously closed exactly 1 month after opening I’m really concerned that this is shaping up to be one large scam.)

OK, so I finally got hold of someone at HSBC who knows something & their version of the signature card is the Master Deposit Agreement and when i compared it to the signature page from the online application it had the exact same wording on it so I guess we’re good there as it was filled out as part of the online process. Gosh I’ll be glad when I close this account- as long as I get the bonus!

“Financial crime is becoming more sophisticated and globally organized. it is important we are vigilant in protecting all of our customers. although we have most of the information that is required, we need to ensure what we have is accurate and obtain some additional details.”

Finally I am all set up – took over 6 weeks just to get approved and account set up with about 10 calls to customer service or fraud department. Android Phone App is useless. Bill pay is extremely weak. Seems like it’s written by teenagers like the original AMEX Serve.

Paid a few bills – now let’s see if the checks actually arrive at my vendors.

For those of you who failed the public records verification questions online on your first attempt and was later on able to open an account, can you please clarify if you were able to bypass the security questions when applied over the phone again (by sending copies of ID etc) or if the banker was able to generate a new set of questions?

Do you know if ChexSystems was pulled the day you failed the verification questions online or over the phone?

Applied almost 4 weeks ago, listed self employed on the application. They needed details for my job. They said my application was pre-approved and they just needed that info. Wife is a public school teacher and we entered all her work info and her app is still pending. I waited on hold for 50 minutes, and I know she won’t be happy about calling.

I can see why passing the security questions are a challenge. I passed them and completed the application. We will see if it goes anywhere. The occupation and funding questions which were repeated twice do not allow the true answers. I have a job. I have investments. I will be drawing SS soon. No space to say any of that.

Got a phone call and unreadable email which has my name and application number. Phone call also verified sender names on that email. Phone call instructed me to attach copy of driver license as a reply to that email and send back. Done.

I am over 70 collecting SS and still work although my other income is much larger than my salary. I thought I would impress them by giving them my other bank’s info and approval to fund my account with $5K with direct transfer – and yet it still took over 6 weeks, despite being told 3 times my account was approved (only to be told on my next call that they needed more info – which of course was the same info they kept on asking for).

However, all’s well now. I managed to run the gauntlet of the verification process. They asked for my cell-phone number to use for verification and asked if I wanted it left on file – I said No as I don’t want calls on my cell-phone. That was fine with them but they didn’t tell me that I also would not receive that verification code! Another week wasted.

I believe this bonus, if ever received, will amount to about $16 per hour for my time!

I just got off the phone with HSBC (on hold for 35mins) they said the letter I received was automated and sent out before they had finished collecting my information. So the CSR said I could disregard it and I should be getting a welcome kit in the mail soon. They seemed swamped with calls about newly opened accounts. CSR was really friendly throughout the process.

We apologize, an error has occurred while processing your application. A customer service representative will contact you to complete your application. If you have any questions, please call the Online Account Team at 844.867.5750. Hours of Operations are Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm ET.

My friend applied 5 days ago, they called him and email – said he need to send them copy of his Driver License, sign some application in regards his SSN, AND PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT PAY STUBS! Crazy bank! And he is US citizen – he gave them SSN and employment info ETC. I guess now they are verifying EMPLOYMENT!!!

This bank is the worst. Applied 5 weeks ago. Talked with someone 2 weeks ago that account opening couldn’t figure out how i worked in one state and lived in another (seriously? look up the addresses on google maps). 2 weeks later and still nothing.

Why not just do two bill pays every 30 days starting a couple days after your statement cycle. Then you encompass all 3. For example, if your statement ends on 11/9/2016, make 2 bill payments on 11/12/16, 12/12/16, and 1/12/17 – new statement, 30+ days, and new month.

Yeah–and you can set it up with their recurring bill pay feature. I put in 2 credit card companies, and set up a recurring $10 bill pay for each. Clicked for them to be monthly, and have 3 total payments on each. Set it and forget (as long as my balance doesn’t drop below $60!).

I had the same question and used the chat feature to see what they said.

Rashemi said: that it is 2 bill payments every 30days.

I told him: I opened my account on Oct 7 and made two bill pays on Oct 14 after receiving the first statement on Oct 13 before my first two bill pays. Do those bills count as being paid in Oct as far as the bonus is concerned?

Rashemi said: that as such, the payments I made in the month of October will be counted towards the month of Oct.

I confirmed with him: So that’s 2 bill pays every 30 days from account opening then?

He said: Yes

Just to be sure, I’m trying to structure it to where I make the bill pays every 30 days of account opening, within a statement period and in a calendar month. Think it can be done with a little care.

We have three consecutive months within 120 calendar days of account opening to accomplish this so good luck to you with it.

Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass. But it’s all in the Game we’re playing, isn’t it? This one makes it a little more… interesting. I finally got my application submitted, after all the BS questions answered; and then re-questioned and re-answered. 3 weeks later, “Welcome to HSBC…” Then another 2 weeks and the snail mail arrived with the debit card and pin. Paid two $5.00 bill-pays and today got my first statement (20 day cycle; guess they are on a 10th of the month cycle, regardless of when the account is opened?). Of the 4 bill-pay accounts I tried, only Amex and Discover automatically populated the payment address information; I tried Cap 1 and Citi with no luck…. Though you can enter addresses manually for payees, I don’t trust HSBC with details so went with the two that they automatically recognized. On the first statement all was good; showed both $5 payments. I will continue with the mode of 2 bill-pays of small amounts, made shortly after statement date, for the next 3 months which keeps me well within the 2 BPs per 30 days within a total of 120 days maximum. Whew! This is some workout but kind of good for the brain too, right?? I mean, they say puzzles and riddles are good for the grey matter :::;-] Hey, if I get the $350, think I’ll spend it on a deluxe hammock and a Rubik’s cube. Good luck!

declined. I called and they said they can’t identify me and I can reapply again to make sure I put in the right info. I reapplied, still declined.
No new bank accounts for 3+ years.
1 new credit card and 2 new CC authorized signer in 2 years.

Just applied online for HSBC $350 bonus, got message that my application is being reviewed. I found it helpful to have my annual free credit report open while completing the ID screening questions. Of course, that only works three times a year, so you may want to print it. Glad I had read your comments before I got to the question about whether the funding account was opened within the past year, as I had planned to use the Citi account I just opened. Dodged that bullet.

Forgot to mention, how did you all answer the questions about whether you would do wire transfers in/out of the account? I said no, although the funding deposit is a wire transfer, I suppose. Hope that doesn’t cause me problems.

This offer is turning into a huge pain for me. I applied over 6 weeks ago and have yet to receive my card or online banking details, despite them telling me over the phone that I’d been approved. And when I do call them, I end up spending an absurd amount of time waiting to talk to someone.

I’ve been having the same experience as you. It has been almost 2 weeks since I applied and funded my account in branch and I have yet to have access to HSBC online banking and even my money.

Supposedly the temporary password for online banking was to be send via SMS within 48 hours after applying but I received nothing, I did contact them through chat and after many 48 hour attempts these last two weeks their system has not been able to send me a temporary password via SMS. I did received a letter in the mail two days with a temporary password but even though it checked as valid in their system, it failed to registered me for online banking.

I did receive a debit card but it is basically useless if you don’t have your PIN or access to online banking. They mail almost everything including the PIN number which has not arrived either.

On top of that they require you to identify yourself with a phone verification code in their automated system before talking to their representatives via phone, it has not arrived either.

Approved yesterday. I applied on 10/2 and never called in… just kinda forgot about it. I didn’t get any communication from HSBC until 2 days ago when I received a voicemail asking to call them, which I didn’t until today. But turns out I waited on hold for 30 minutes for nothing… because the rep that answered said they didn’t need anything and I should get my account info in the mail in 3-5 business days.

Just checked my funding account and the trial withdrawals and deposit were there, so I entered them on the appropriate screen in my saved application. The next screen was incomplete, even though I had completed and submitted it earlier, so I completed and submitted it again. Got the same message as before, that my application is being reviewed. I have received no email or other communication from HSBC. Did anyone else get the emails they reference in the application? I just hope they don’t take forever to tell me I’m denied because I missed the November 18 deadline.

I gave up for two weeks – Applied Nov 1st. Called today – was transferred to a new account specialist. Twenty questions verifying the info in my application. Wanted to know why my employer listed was a few states away. I explained they are nationwide – that I do the related job in my home area. Seriously questioned where the funding was coming from. New account specialist forwarded to a final review, but felt the application should be approved. She indicated that I should receive a welcome email in two days and assured me that I should be eligible for the bonus subject to the offer terms.

I just got an email two weeks after my phone call in the middle of November. Please call. Same dumb questions. Why do I not live closer to my listed employer which is a nationwide company. What was the source of the money to be deposited?
Promise of an email … good bye.

I would be sorely temped to forget it, but the initial application includes authorization to withdraw funds when the account is finally opened. I have read horror stories when contrary instructions happened.

Hip…Hip…Huh? Got an email today with message: “Your Opening Deposit For Your New HSBC Account Has Been Processed.” Hopefully, HSBC-ese for “approved.” If so, judging by above comments, they must be processing applications in NPO (no particular order), as I just applied 2 days ago. Let’s see how long they take to process my wife’s app.

For what it’s worth, got a second email today, specifically stating I’m approved, and I see they sucked my initial deposit out of my funding account. Either I just got in under the wire, or they’ll cook up some lame reason not to give me the bonus. We shall see.

Good God their IT is from the 90s. They never emailed my wife her temp username. Received the temp password in the mail. Had to do chat and answer a million questions. Now I can’t log into my account because my security device isn’t setup. Entered the code on my wife’s phone which worked, but it’s still saying that my security device isn’t setup. Ughh, worthless!

I recommend not setting up the security device, or at least that is what I did. There is an option to bypass, but says something like you will have limited account access with that selection. However, that limited access does everything you need (access to bill pay).